House Reticulum
House Reticulum (夾白蛇首) is one of the seven families that form the Houses Minor of the Empire. Their sacred duty is the arming of the Empire and the provision of its duellists, assassins, and personal bodyguards. History Origins Like most of the Noble Houses, much of House Reticulum's history was lost during the chaotic aftermath of The Scream and The Guild retconing. What stories remain are often skewed or warped with few, if any, knowing the families true history. The truth is that House Reticulum originates from "East Asia's Governmental Block - Earth" (EAGB-E). During the human colonisation of Acheron Rho, EAGB-E was tasked with the responsibility of providing the weapons and munitions needed to protect the colonists. Shipping these supplies from the core worlds took too long to be a realistic proposal. Instead, EAGB-E provided a complement of expert weapons developers, manufactures and testers. These people, on the starship Reticulum, were the seed from which the noble house grew. Structure Structurally, House Reticulum is split into two sects; both of which are represented by their most masterful, respectively. * Crafters (夾白) - master weaponsmiths on the bleeding edge of weapon manufacturing responsible for creating the Empire's most powerful weapons. They form a marginal majority in the House. ** Daikannushi - Representative. A Crafter becomes the Daikannushi on the completion of a Mahati Astra and reigns until the creation of the next. *** A Daikannushi that has been patronized by the Emperox themselves earns the title of Jingushi. ** Kannushi - Leader of a workshop. ** Shinkan - Independent artisan. * Wielders (蛇首) - master duellists, assassins, and personal bodyguards responsible for forming the literal blade of the Emperor. They form a marginal minority in the House. ** Asura - Representative. A Wielder becomes the Asura upon the besting of the current Asura and reigns until they are bested. ** Yakshas - Leader of a dojo. ** Rakshasa - Independent duelist, assassin, or bodyguard. Note: These names only provide a general sense of what a noble in House Reticulum does. For example, there are many Yakshas who sometimes do independent work. Additionally (bar the titles of the representatives) these titles are not really a sign of an individuals skill. The only exception to this structure is the Astradhari, who (when they exist) is the undisputed leader of the entire family. This division between crafter and wielder is the clearest example of the theme of division in the family. The relationship between these two sides is a long and complex topic, of which many scholarly articles have been written. Very roughly it can be equated to a 'love-hate relationship'. Duelling House Reticulum is responsible for the creation and management of the Formal System of Noble Grievance Resolution. By imperial decree (as of a late House Crux Emperor) this system is now the system that all nobles use to finally settle disputes. As home to the sectors best duellists, House Reticulum offers services to all other families, allowing Reticulum nobles to fight in their name. Culture Language The noble tongue of House Reticulum is an artificial (pidgin) language that is a synthesis of Earth's East Asian languages. Most of its words are borrowed (such as Aomori) and it is written in the Chinese character set (which is commonly used in many East Asian languages). The languages existence came about in a bid to ease tensions after the creation of the EAGB-E. Name During the initial orders, Earth's Central Governing Body assigned the name Reticulum to the EAGB-E support force. Rather than informing their superiors that, Reticulum is not visible and therefore two distinct constellations in the Chinese system, the governmental officials took the initiative. They divided the two constellations that make-up Reticulum between the weapons manufacturers (夾白) and their testers (蛇首). This tiny decision went on to have huge cultural ramifications. Now, many in-house Reticulum state that the family would not be whole without the union of both its halves. Spiritualism The devotion to their craft has to lead many in House Reticulum to form an almost zealous appreciation for their weaponry and its usage. Some stating that a Crafter puts a small fragment of their soul into their craft. Others stating that a masterfully crafted weapon becomes the home to the soul of an ancient and mighty warrior. Others still suggest that martial combat is a form of spiritual cleansing - healing the soul. Some take a more tempered approach, stating that true martial prowess is achieved only when the soul of the weapon and the soul of its wielder act harmoniously - metaphorically or otherwise. In fact, there are hundreds of often similar, often competing, spiritual beliefs present amongst the family members. There is also a minority that has no spiritual beliefs, with one family member notably stating, “... that’s spiritualism just eccentric poetry”. He went on to say "us It’s all about that stopping power; that TNT equivalent. Pinpoint precision; Vaporizing the target. Slicing them in half; Leaving nothing behind. Cut the pseudo-spiritualistic crap we’re talking about weapons." Whilst the majority of House Reticulum have some spiritualist beliefs there is no religion. There is no formal codification of what these beliefs are and there ends up being a notable amount of variation from family member to family member. In fact, these beliefs often actively contradict each other though rarely does this cause tension. Clothing Traditionally House Reticulum style and fashion are derived from many East Asian cultures but it may differ. Many Reticulum house members wear very practical clothing for their day to day life. A crafter might be wearing something that stays out of the way and keeps themselves cool while they work on their craft. A wielder would wear something easy to move in while still protecting them in their day to day training and exercises. When a wielder is tasked with any job they are wearing clothing that suits their fighting styles first and foremost before fashion. A bodyguard is the most likely to be seen wearing heavy armor or in a formal outfit with armor hidden underneath. An assassin will be wearing something dark and inconspicuous. A duellists clothing takes on a more traditional style rather than the practical style, but still allowing for the swift movements needed from the duellist. For formal events, the style follows traditional clothing styles depending on the occasion and where it is being held. If it is outside in the heat the clothing might follow a more Tibet style of clothing but if it is cold out Mongolian fashion might be more applicable. Art Though nobles may entertain themselves with many hobbies, there are only two true arts in House Reticulum. Crafting The crafting of weapons is the most commonly cited art form in House Reticulum. Crafters are always seeking to improve, creating weapons of war which are equal parts beautiful and effective. While each weapon a crafter creates has a special significance to them, there is a culture of perfectionism within the crafters. The completion of each weapon is both a joyous and sombre occasion. With the completion of a weapon, a crafter is able to show the culmination of their time and skill. However, a completed weapon also serves a reminder of their limits. This drives the crafters to constantly strive to create better, more magnificent implements. It is also the reason why the creation of a Mahati Astra, a perfect weapon, carries so much significance within the ranks of the crafters. Wielding The second art form of House Reticulum is the art of wielding. The perfect weapon is useless without someone capable of using it to its fullest potential. Reticulum's wielders are not merely hired guns or goons. A wielder is a person who has devoted themselves wholly to becoming a conduit of their weapons power. The greatest wielders are masters capable of molding their style to any weapon, pushing it to its exact limit, before trying to draw it beyond. In the eyes of a wielder, a weapon is not a tool, it is a child. You must guide and cultivate it. To fail one's child is not only a mark on yourself but a disservice to its crafter. Cuisine “It’s like a bomb going off in your mouth!” - Common Reticulum saying when eating our curry. Much of traditional Reticulum cuisine stems from the nature of Aomori. The diet consists of lots of fish and sea vegetables with some meat and berries. Most crops are imported due to the planets unsuitability for farming. Some examples of traditional House Reticulum cuisine are: * Bombfahl Curry: A curry made with an indistinct amount of chili peppers, habaneros, blue tomatoes, ginger and fennel seeds. * Kanaloa Sushi: Made from one of the planet’s largest aquatic predators, wrapped in blue seaweed with some blue wasabi. * Yuanxiao Dumplings: Dumplings with a filling made from the apex predator of Aomori's jungle, the Nightmarcher! * Mochi Ice Cream. * Aomori Batista Bomb: Distilled by fermenting a bioluminescent fruit which can be found on the planet surface. The drink glows with a faint blue light and is deceptively smooth despite consisting almost entirely of alcohol. __FORCETOC__ Category:Factions Category:Houses Minor Category:Noble Houses Category:House Retiulum